Why do you consider Shakespeare
to be helpful in High School? I know how important he is, but
why? How does Shakespeare help teens for the present and future? M

First, there's
a new tape out that my kids just LOVE. The sexual innuendoes are lost on my munchkins
but the slapstick is great. The
Reduced Shakespeare Company Does the Complete Works of Shakespeare.
Some of your readers may not appreciate it, so perhaps it should be viewed
by the parent/educator first. That's what I always do. They start
with a biography and then Romeo and Juliet. Then they go through
the comedies, histories (using a foot ball - too cool), then Macbeth with
tons or RRRRRRRRRRRRRR. Then a short mention of the sonnets.
Then after intermission they do Hamlet. Then Hamlet in 30 seconds.
Then Hamlet in 10 seconds. Then Hamlet backwards. Of course,
I'm rolling on the floor..... You should take a peek anyway....

Second, if
you can read and understand Shakespeare, you can read and understand almost anything
(although you may have problems in quantum physics).

Shakespeare
can be used as a pivot point for mythology (Midsummer's Night Dream), marriage,
Greek Tragedy (Titus Andronicus), Italian Comedy, Elizabethan culture and
history, Catholicism, and English history. Then, of course, there's
the poetry rhymed and unrhymed (iambic pentameter). If you can write
a Shakespearean sonnet (there are other forms like Italian), you can write
any kind of poem. Scottish history (Macbeth), the world of fantasy
(fairies, monsters, ghosts, sprites, witches, as in The Tempest, Midsummer's
Night Dream, Hamlet). Want an exhaustive list? Give me a week or
two...

Third, there
is one book out and one book ready to come out this year on Shakespeare and the Bible.
He refers to SO many characters in the Bible, morals, and principles,
not to mention the use of Types of Christ.

Fourth,
the language is challenging. The sentences are tight and concise. A study of drama MUST
include Shakespeare, since he was THE BEST playwright in the world.
Did you know he is translated in to hundreds of languages?
He is an international star. (Can you imagine Shakespeare in Kabuki
theatre? in Japanese?)

Fifth, Shakespeare
is a master of plot. If you do anything at all with Shakespeare, study the
stories. He ties up all his loose ends. Of character. If I saw Falstaff on
the street, I would KNOW him. Hamlet too.

Lastly, Shakespeare
is LOGICAL. He presents a knot and then unties it. ALL kids
should have logic in high school or at home during those years. Logic
keeps us from throwing our money away, marrying a jerk, following after
fools, and making intelligent life choices.

Someone that
would ask, "Why do you study Shakespeare?" hasn't really taken the time
to know him. Once you give yourself the patience to get into the
language YOU ARE HOOKED and other literature pales.

There
are other masters that are worth studying. I have heard there is
one who wrote in Hindi, not
translated. Hopefully some day. Every nation has it's master. Shakespeare
is the most accessible to English speaking folk.